Station-indicator.



No. 687,424, Patented Nov. 26, I90I.

' C. H. DILL.

STATION INDICATOR.

(Application led Dec. 31'l 1900.\

(No Model.)

I l I I ff l v 'II fil 1' Il AITORNEK UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES H. DILL, or DIAN'VILLE, INDIANA.

STATION-lNDloAToR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of' Letters Patent No. 687,424, dated November 26, 1901.

Application inea December 31,1900. serai No. 41,585. (remodel.)

in the county of Hendricks and State of In` diana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Station-Indicators; andI do declare the following to be a full7 clear, vand exact description of the invention, su-ch as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to an appliance that is designed to be mounted in a passenger-car for indicating to passengers the names or numbers of the stations as they may be approached, and has particular reference to improvements in the station -indicator illustrated in Letters-Patent No. 654,424, granted July 24, 1900.

The main object of the invention is to provide devices whereby the web having the station designations may be positively controlled, so as to insure accurate registering of the names with the aperture through which they may be viewed. In said patent the web could be regularly advanced, but there was no provision for preventing the momentum of the web from carrying it too far in its course each time it might be advanced, which in practice was a serious defect, with the result that under existing conditions the station :names would not appear distinctly and in register at the sight-aperture at all times.

With the above object in view my invention consists in providing the driving-roller with a positive stop mechanism operated automatically in connection with the means employed for advancing the web, and it consists, further, in the novel parts and combination and arrangement of parts, as hereinafter particularly described and claimed.

Referring to the drawings, in which similar reference characters in the several figures indicate corresponding parts, Figure l represents a front elevation of the principal mechanism of the indicator, showing my invention as applied thereto and contained in a case having the front removed and the lower portion broken away; Fig. 2, a side elevation in which the right-hand side of the case is omitted and exposing the principal operative mechanism, the lower portions being broken away; Fig. 3, a fragmentary detail view showing portions of the stop mechanism; Fig. 4, a perspective View of the pull-bar, showing a part of my invention applied thereto; and Fig. 5, a fragmentary detail sectional View taken vertically through the center of the driving-shaft and connected parts.

The invention disclosed in said Patent No.

`654,424 included, as shown substantially in the drawings' forming part of the present specification, a case comprising a back part A, providing a base, a top B, a left-hand side C, a right-hand side D, andafront Ct, havinga sight-aperture b, a housing comprising plates E and E', a main driving-shaft F, to which is connected a removable roller-shaft F', a web H, having station designations, as f, a ratchet- Wheel I, having notches j, a pull-bar K, having a stem K and having at the upper end thereof also an open way 7a, in which the Wheel I may work, and other openings Z, in which the main shaft may work, so that the upper end has four stems t, a spring-yoke L, a pawl M, engaging the Wheel I, a bell Q, having a clapper c and operated by a striker-rod u, connected with the push-bar, disks d d', attached to the driving-roller and having notches t', engaged by rods h, attached to the web, a spring-case e, a springn, stops p g, engaged by the enlarged end m of the push-bar, and other minor parts not directly relating to my present invention.

` In the construction of the indicator it is desirable that the pull-bar have a strong resistance-spring and that the bar move with a sudden jerking motion with a sudden stopping; but this had the effect of causing the web-bars to jump out of the notches in the roller-disks, and it caused the roller, with the web, to move too far at times to permit of correct registering of the station names or numbers with. the sight-aperture, as before stated.

In order to perfect the appliances and eliminate the evils referred to, I form the shaft F somewhat longer than formerly, so as to project from the plat-e E asuitable distance, and I secure to the shaft a stop-wheel J, provided at its periphery with ratchet like teethnotches s, in number corresponding to the IOO number of notchesj in the wheel I. At the inner end of the shaft F, adjacent the Wheel J, it has a square portion 2 entering a square socket 3`in one end of the roller-shaft F. In alinement with the roller-shaft the side G of the case is provided with an adjustable socket-bearing G, in which the other end of the shaft F is revolubly mounted. This bearing permits a quick release of the rollershaft when changing webs, while preventing undue lost motion in the bearing, which is an advantage over the open-top bearing.

A spring-lever N is suitably secured to the top B of the case or elsewhere and extends down beyond the front face of the wheel J, being preferably slotted, so as to straddle the Wheel, and it has a rearwardly-projecting portion r engaged in operation by a finger O, secured to the push-bar K and extending laterally therefrom across the rear of the lever N, the latter having a catch-bar P, adapted to drop into the notches s as they in turn register therewith. It will be observed that the ratchet-teeth which practically'are formed on the wheels I and J by the notchesj and s, respectively, are arranged in reverse order, so that the shaft F may be locked againstmovement by the lever N and released thereby. It is designed that the linger O shall engage and lift the lever N before the yoke L engages and causes a movement of the wheel I.

In order to hold the Web H closely against the driving-roller (which in the present case is not solid, the disks d d performing the funclLion of a roller) and insuring a smooth even passage of the web before the sight-aperture, I provide spring-pressers R R', which are su pported by the top B and extend down against the front of the web at the front of the driving-roller, bearing gently against the web.A

A side guide S for the rods h is secured to the top B and anchored to the right-hand side D bya brace w. A companion guide T is attached also to the top B and anchored to the side C of the case, both guides being narrow, so that the driving-roller may be removed from the bearings behind the guides without interference.

In practical use the pullbar K may be drawn downwardly, and upon its rst movement the finger O will engage the projecting portion r of the lever N, disengagingthe catch P from the notch in the wheel J, and a further movement of the pull-bar will cause a partial rotation of the Wheels I and J and connected parts and changing -the station designation. When the pullbar shall have reached its `limit of travel, the catch will have entered a registering notch s in the wheel J, causing the rotative parts to stop, and once at rest will normally remain so, so that as the pull-bar advances on its return stroke it will have no inuence in disturbing thel rotative parts as it momentarily lifts the lever N from engagement with the wheel as the finger O rapidly passes the portion r in contact therewith.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire'to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. In a station-indicator, the combination with the driving-shaft, the ratchet-wheel, the pull-bar, and the notched stop-wheel, of the slotted spring-lever straddling the stop-Wheel and fixed at one end thereof, the catch-bar attached to said lever, the projecting portion at the rear of said lever, and the finger attached to and projecting from the side of said pull-bar so as to pass and engage said projecting portion of said lever, substantially as set forth.

2. In a station-indicator, the combination of the case, the apertured door for the case, the driving-shaft housing, the driving-shaft, the adjustable socket-bearn g attached to the casein alinement with said shaft, the drivingroller connected to said driving-shaft and journaled in said adjustable bearing, the ratchet-wheel, the pull-bar, the yoke, the pullbarsprin g, the stops for the pull-bar, the web, the notched stop-Wheel, the finger attached to the pull-bar, the spring-lever rigidly supported and straddling the stop-Wheel and set in the path of said finger, the catch-bar on said lever engaging said stop-wheel, the springpressers secured to the top.of said case, and the side guides, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES H. DILL. NVitnesses:

WM. H. PAYNE, E. T. SILvIUs. 

